5 June 2019 Important Russian Art Auctions, at Asia House
5 June 2019
72. MAKOVSKY, VLADIMIR (1846–1920)
Dilettante, signed and dated 1887, also further signed, titled in Cyrillic and dated on the reverse.
Oil on panel, 31.5 by 41 cm.
60,000–90,000 GBP
Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V. Petrov.
Related literature: For another version of the work, see exhibition catalogue, Illiustrirovannyi katalog XVI peredvizhnoi khudozhestvennoi vystavki, St Petersburg, German Goppe, 1888, No. 29, illustrated.
G. Romanov, Tovarishchestvo peredvizhnykh khudozhestvennykh vystavok. 1871–1923 g.g. Entsiklopediia, St Petersburg, Sankt–Peterburg Orkestr, 2003, p. 112, No. 4-82, listed.
Vladimir Makovsky is rightly called one of Russia’s best genre painters. The extraordinary subtlety and sharpness with which he conveyed the atmosphere of the times, and the precisely recorded, remarkably touching scenes from the life of ordinary Russians, and peasant children in particular, propelled the artist to the highest level of Russian forward-looking realistic art. The work presented in this catalogue, Dilettante, is an ironic scene depicting a rural amateur artist embarking on his sketches. Village boys touchingly accompany the old man to his plein air site. The magnificent painting technique and convincing depiction of the characters’ personalities put the composition on a par with Vladimir Makovsky’s best work.
Notes on symbols:
* Indicates 5% Import Duty Charge applies.
Ω Indicates 20% Import Duty Charge applies.
§ Indicates Artist's Resale Right applies.
† Indicates Standard VAT scheme applies, and the rate of 20% VAT will be charged on both hammer price and premium.